PRESS ROOM: #HowDoUFeel? Movement Gives a Voice to Millennials about the Elections

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
A Visual and Vocal Campaign Created by Millennials for Millennials to Promote Civil Discourse and Voter Engagement across the Nation
“We don’t see ourselves represented in the mainstream media and it results in feeling disengaged and left out of the system.”
— Kelly Shogren, 25, Ambassador for the #HowDoUFeel Movement

Millennials outnumber the Baby Boomer generation and yet their voices appear to be muted in one of the most important elections in our Nation’s history. Millennials are an untapped power in this election. To unleash that power, the #HowDoUFeel Movement, a non-partisan social media campaign, was created by millennials for millennials to provide a platform for their voices to be heard and to start a dialogue about issues that matter to them.

“We don’t see ourselves represented in the mainstream media and it results in feeling disengaged and left out of the system,” said Kelly Shogren, 25, Ambassador for the #HowDoUFeel Movement. You can find millennial voters, see their selfie-video statements, and follow conversations on our social media channels @MillennialVoter on Twitter and Instagram, on Facebook, or on the website, www.howdoufeel.org.

#HowDoUFeel evolved from a discussion in a college classroom in Chicago. Groundswell Educational Films, a non-profit media arts organization with a mission to give ordinary people a voice in society, operationalized it. “We recognized an opportunity to turn young people into voters by engaging them on issues that matter most to them,” said Jennifer Amdur Spitz, a Chicago strategic communications consultant and co-founder of Groundswell. “Together with 9 diverse millennial ambassadors and several campus and community-based organizations we engaged young voters in conversation and registered them to vote. Now we’re focusing on getting them to the polls.”

Understanding that the next president will appoint several Supreme Court Justices, this vote is not a 4-year vote, but has potential to change the course of the country for decades. The #HowDoUFeel campaign helps millennials realize the importance of this election and the power of their vote. “It is about recognizing our stake in this election and empowering the youth through politics,” said Caleb Porter, 22, a Chicago community organizer.

Daily questions and topics are posed on the website and social media platforms to drive awareness, conversation and higher millennial voter turnout. “We want our country to progress and develop,” said Brandon, 19, from Texas. In a short period of time, the #HowDoUFeel hash tag has gained momentum with thousands of comments and posts.

Respond to the current question on www.howdoufeel.org. Participants follow three easy steps:

1. Record Your Response in a short selfie-video
2. Post Your Video to Social using #HowDoUFeel #NotAThreat
4. Tag a Friend and @millennialvoter @notathreat

This campaign is a collaborative effort with Groundswell, Rock the Vote, Chicago Votes, American Votes Ohio (Sub-group of State Voices), American Association of People with Disabilities, Not A Threat Movement, Women’s Debate Institute, and a growing list of voter engagement organizations, campus organizations, and individuals across the country.

To learn more about the campaign, how you can help, or to talk to a #HowDoUFeel ambassador, contact Publicist Marie Lemelle at m.lemelle@att.net or 213-276-7827 to schedule an in-studio, on site, or phone/SKYPE interview.

About #HowDoUFeel Campaign
The #HowDoUFeel campaign is a non-partisan campaign with a goal of promoting citizenship, civil discourse, and higher voter turnout among millennials. In 2014, 83% of voters 18-29 chose not to vote. In 2012, 62% did not vote. The #HowDoUfeel question engages young voters around issues that matter to them, gives them a platform to express themselves and an online voter registration platform so they can make their opinion count.

Young people are recording their thoughts in short selfie videos and posting them on their favorite social media sites. We can track the #HowDoUFeel conversation on social, drive more millennials to become registered voters and promote their videos to give them a voice in mainstream media. A sub-set of Millennials uploaded videos to the website www.howdoufeel.org. These videos are fully released for media to download and use. Transcripts are printed with each video.

About Groundswell Education Films
Groundswell Educational Films is a non-profit 501(c) 3 organization, founded in 2000, with a mission to give ordinary people a voice in society. Groundswell creates award-winning documentary films and multi-channel impact campaigns that lead to tangible and verifiable social change. http://groundswellfilms.org/

Groundswell raises social justice issues in their films, such as in the Sundance Festival selection “The Return of Navajo Boy” about environmental justice for the Navajo Nation. http://navajoboy.com/webisodes/ and “Food Patriots” a family story that helped to inspire a food revolution. http://www.foodpatriots.com/

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